


Briny Depths

by kittensandcake



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Other, Pirate AU, Pirate universe, no one asked for this but who cares, not really any ships but kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-11-28 23:59:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11428962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittensandcake/pseuds/kittensandcake
Summary: They say the whale-god eats those mutineers left to drift the oceans.





	Briny Depths

**Author's Note:**

> The pirate au no one asked for!! Based off of this wonderful art by wehavekookies (http://wehavekookies.tumblr.com/post/162670390784/some-notes-on-visiting-the-void-in-dishonored) 
> 
> Please ignore my lack of links I simply haven't figured out how to do it yet!! <3

The roar of a cannon had signalled his demise. The Whaler had descended upon them, seemingly appearing out of thin air and becoming solid wood and cannon, when moments earlier there had been nothing but misty sea air. It had rocked the Kaldwin to the core, men flying left right and centre. Corvo stood his ground, as he always did. Even as splinters dug into his arms and shrapnel cut at his face, he stayed where he was needed; right next to Jessamine. She was fierce as the day he had met her, a laugh on her face that was only somewhat tainted by the force and surprise of the sudden attack, even as she cut down those who would raise a sword against her. Against Emily. 

Corvo had bundled her into Jessamine’s quarters the moment he’d realised what was going on, and despite her first protests, the banging of her small fists against the door, she had fallen silent at the sound of the first cannon, most likely hiding. She was smart, quick as a whip, and as long as no-one in numbers managed to get into the cabin, Corvo didn’t fear for her. She wasn’t going to try anything stupid. 

His blade clanged against the enemy’s, his fist punching up into the snout of their godawful mask and watching as glass crunched and leather twisted in a way it wasn’t supposed to. The Whaler fell back, and with a kick to their gut Corvo watched as they toppled over the edge of the ship. 

“We’ll be rid of them before the day is up,” Jessamine called, and Corvo turned with a half-smile of his own. The Whaler might have had surprise on their side, but their ship was no match for the Kaldwin. He sent an elbow flying into another Whaler’s chest, hearing them wheeze through the mask, before disappearing entirely. Corvo stopped dead, and stared for just a moment. Another sword came in his direction, and he stepped aside, kicking the feet out from under the Whaler before bringing his sword down towards them. They disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Corvo’s feet shifted, turning him towards the upper deck. 

“Jessamine!” He hurled himself up the staircase, the cracks of pistols and cannons around them almost numbing him as he looked up at the woman. She turned, and a Whaler stood between them, hand raised and an arm around Emily. 

“Corvo! Help, they just appeared, Corvo-“ The Whaler shook Emily fiercely, but Corvo couldn’t reach them. Something was holding him up, something Void-damned and more powerful than even his own body. 

“Emily, Jessamine, look ou-“ Corvo tried to move one hand, as Jessamine ran through another Whaler, staring up at the scene unfolding before her.  
“Corvo,” She started towards them, murder in her eyes for the man who would harm her daughter, or her protector. “Get away from them,” She lifted her blade, only for it to connect with another raised above the Whaler, a man in red pushing her back. He wore no mask, and Corvo knew exactly who he was. 

The Knife batted Jessamine’s sword away as if it was nothing, sending it skittering across the deck, Jessamine pulling her knife from her boot and stabbing it through Daud's side. He cursed and stumbled back, the Whaler behind him faltering for just a moment. Corvo surged forwards, until the thrall was lifted once again, and Corvo found himself helpless to do anything. He fought against it, he kicked, he almost screamed in pure frustration, watching as Jessamine pulled her knife from Daud's side, even as he snapped his hand back in a vicious slap. The leather and studding on his glove caught her in the mouth, and when she straightened she had blood on her face. "Get away from her you coward," She snarled, as Daud merely stepped closer. She lifted her knife, and he snapped her wrist. Corvo jolted as Jessamine's hand twisted in just the wrong way, and before Corvo could even scream her name, his blade had plunged into her stomach, a hand still wrapped around her throat. 

When Jessamine went limp, Daud withdrew his sword, and dropped her body like it was a wet rag.

“Mommy!” Corvo vaguely heard Emily scream, until the Whaler flickered out of existence. Bastard Void-damned dogs, all of them, to do this...Corvo crumpled onto the deck, his eyes blazing as he stared up at Daud, fingers curling around his sword as he lunged at him. Daud became nothing, and Corvo stared, screaming his frustration. It was only when he heard a faint gurgle did he drop to his knees, coming up closer to Jessamine, holding her. She was already so cold, and his trousers were soon soaked in blood. 

“Corvo…please,” She gripped at his hand, even as blood began to trickle from the corner of her mouth. So strong, even to the end. “Find Emily. Help her, don’t-…don’t let this happen to her,” Blood bubbled up between her lips, and Jessamine’s grip lessened, falling slack until her hand dropped down onto the deck. 

Corvo sat there for too long, holding her in his arms, wondering just how he had let it happen. He should have been on the upper deck with her. It was his role, as first mate, he should have protected his captain, his love, his Jessamine…

It was only when he heard boots around him did he look up, his brow furrowing. Campbell? He turned his head, staring across at the Everyman. Where had it come from? The Whaler had vanished once again, and if it hadn’t been for Jessamine, cold in his arms, he would have wondered whether it was just a bad dream. Maybe it was still a bad dream.  
“He’s murdered her.” Campbell said in disbelief, the men surrounding him keeping their drawn swords angled in Corvo’s direction. “He’s murdered Jessamine.” 

“Her own first mate. How ironic,” Corvo’s eyes leapt up again. Burrows. He was here too? There suddenly seemed to be far too many ships, too many people, and Corvo held Jessamine just that bit closer. 

“I always knew it. Knew he was an animal in a lord’s clothing,” Campbell let out a disgusted sound. “Where is the daughter?” 

Corvo opened his mouth, and the pommel of a sword crashed down against his brow. 

“He’s most likely squirreled her away. If he hasn’t already slit her throat and thrown her overboard,” Burrows shook his head, taking a few steps away. 

Campbell waved his hand, and the men beside him dropped down by Corvo, hands grabbing at his shoulders, tugging Jessamine away from him. 

“No, don’t-“ Corvo tried to stoop down to her, until a knee thudded into his stomach. He grunted, hanging limp for just a moment in the arms of the men, before lifting his head towards Campbell. “Curse you. Curse you all to the fucking Void,” He spat at Campbell’s feet, watching as red splattered up his boot

“Set him adrift. I won’t have mutineers on board my vessel. I’m taking control of the Kaldwin, until we can find its true heir,” Campbell sneered, and made a dismissive gesture with his hand. Corvo had just a few more moments of consciousness, until the pommel came down once again, and he didn’t resist the black that sucked him under. 

 

The sun burned on his bare back. It was what woke Corvo at first, until seawater sloshed into his mouth and made him cough, made the cut on his lip sting. He jerked upright, and fell off of the raft. The water was cold, so very cold, and Corvo gasped as he righted himself, sucking in a breath and looking around. The raft was just a few feet away. He pulled himself through the water and back on top of it, shivering for only a moment or two before the sun burned away the moisture and the cold. The water was still, so still. Barely a ripple on its surface. And no ships nor land for as far as the eye could see. Corvo drew his legs up, staring about himself, and swallowed. He was so very thirsty already. They hadn’t even done him the kindness of leaving him a pistol. He had his tattered trousers, cut off at the knee. Not even long enough for a noose, even if he had found something to tie it too. 

Corvo wanted to scream. He could feel one, perched under his chin, but knew screaming would just make him thirstier. So he sat where he was, and thought. He thought about it all. The Whaler didn’t attack a ship to kill a single member. Daud didn’t do that. Karnaca may have been the home of the best swordsmen in the Empire, but nothing would cause them to take a single life just for the fun of it. There had been a reason, Corvo was sure. Not that it mattered. Jessamine was dead. Emily was missing, potentially dead, if Daud didn’t think he could ransom her. Campbell wouldn’t pay. He’d wanted the Kaldwin for as long as he’d known of its existence. An ally to Jessamine for one thing. Corvo was so thirsty. He rubbed at his throat, and ignored the cool water sloshing just inches away. He would not drink seawater. Not yet. 

He drifted for many hours. Moving in and out of sleep, until Corvo eventually found himself lying on his front, one arm drifting in the water. Already a small handful of fish had come to investigate him, and one of the slower ones had made him a meal for the day. It had been disgusting, slimy and wet, but it had soothed his throat and filled his empty, gnawing stomach. But as the day dragged on into two, into three, Corvo was beginning to give up. 

He laid has he had done so long before, his eyes closed, the sun beating down on his back. So hot, yet so cold. He was betwixt worlds in some way, and Corvo let his breathing slow. Not much longer. Not much longer at all. As if he had brought it about himself, he felt something cold brushing at his fingertips, up his palm, towards his wrist. It was blissfully cold, and ever so slowly, Corvo felt himself being pulled. He barely stirred. Mercreatures were real, then. If he opened his eyes, he’d dread to see what was pulling him. So he simply let it do so, barely resisting as he was slid from his raft, and into the depths. 

It was so very cold. A cold that had shocked the air from his lungs before, that had made his limbs seem cold and dead to him. Now, it was a similar feeling. But as he drifted down, and down, Corvo still felt air moving through his lungs and nose. He was still…alive. Away from the beating sun, from the barest hint of wind. All was cold, and still, and quiet. He waited, silently, until he felt himself come to a slow halt. Corvo blinked open his eyes, and the surprise had him suck a breath in. He choked on water, bubbles spilling from his open mouth and his eyes going wide, staring up. He could barely see the sun. He could barely see light, it was so dark, so deep and crushingly dark, he was going to drown, he couldn’t drown- 

Air returned again, and Corvo spluttered, coughing up what felt like a lungful of water as it scraped up his throat, leaving him feeling raw and run through. He lifted his gaze, and a school of fish began to swim lazily towards him. They moved with such one-mindedness, that Corvo could have mistaken them for one being. Just as the thought occurred, a being appeared. Thin, pale, his dark hair lifting from his face, and eyes, such dark eyes…Corvo stared, wary. 

“Here you are, at last,” The being opened its mouth, and Corvo heard his voice everywhere. It was loud, quiet, young and old, and in every fibre of his being. 

“You find your way into such interesting places, my dear Corvo,” The being floated closer, and Corvo cut his hands through the water, attempting to move away. He couldn’t. Not even with flat palms, pushing against the water, how he would always beat Jessamine in a swimming race. It was as if the water existed, and yet didn’t exist, even as the creature in front of him moved with terrifying grace. 

“Betrayed, marooned, left to drift the ocean until you succumbed to its crushing depths,” The being paused its motions, and Corvo’s eyes left it for just a moment, watching a great mass move behind him. It was a whale. Gigantic, bigger than he had ever seen, even at the shipyards. Its tentacles floated about its great mouth, and Corvo wondered if he was about to be eaten. No. Whales didn’t eat people. That was sharks. And sharks with such black eyes as the being in front of him. 

“The woman you loved is dead, your precious Emily lost…and where does that leave you?” The creature disappeared into a shoal of fish, and when he reappeared at Corvo’s elbow he snapped his body around, staring at the creature. It looked like a drowned boy, his face so pale and sallow, the hollows of his cheeks almost painful to look at. It smiled, thinly.

“But you will not merely let yourself succumb, will you?” The being reached for him, a hand winding around his forearm, stronger than Corvo had anticipated. Something began to burn cold on his hand. Corvo lifted it, and a sigil appeared, black as the depths and strangely refined, sharper lines than any tatau he had seen. 

“I am the Outsider, and this is my Mark.” There was a smile on its lips as it withdrew somewhat, leaving Corvo to float and contemplate his Mark. “A rare gift. But I know you will hardly disappoint in what you decide to do with it,” 

When Corvo looked back up, the Outsider was gone, with just that great whale hanging in the water before him, looking as though it was barely even moving. 

“You know of these, do you not?” He was there, hands cupped about something that Corvo had only seen in passing. When he didn’t hand it over, Corvo reached out, drawing fingers over the carved whalebone, crudely held together with bolts of metal. “You are a pirate. Of course you know of the ancient magic, the song of the Void thrumming below your deck,” His fingers were cold, so cold, as he pressed the thing into Corvo’s hands, fingers winding about his wrists and feeling like shackles. It smiled, and Corvo was quiet for a moment. 

“Why me?” 

“You will play a pivotal role in the days to come,” The hands squeezed. “But how you will use the gifts I have granted you-“ Corvo felt the Mark burn, watched how it glowed with an eerie, cold light in the darkness- “is up to you. I will be paying attention, Corvo,” The god’s smile was thin, and for a moment Corvo saw a flash of teeth. A shark in a man’s clothing. 

“Know that I shall be watching, with great interest,” The thin fingers left his wrists, and the Outsider’s eyes narrowed in amusement. “Take a deep breath.” 

Corvo sucked air into his lungs, as water crashed around him, deafening his ears and filling the world with silence. The rune was still in his hands. He pushed it into his waistband, his blurred vision still able to see a figure, with black eyes staring right at him. He didn’t wait. He kicked and pulled with his arms, seeking the sunlight and finding that it was now moonlight. It seemed so very far away, and for a moment Corvo felt fingertips brush up his ankles, as if the creature was to pull him back down into the depths. He kicked harder, pulled harder, and burst the surface of the ocean with a great gasp, forcing air into his lungs. His raft was right there, and he pulled himself up onto it, choking breaths coming to him until he could splutter no more. When he took stock of his surroundings, he saw a shoreline. Brightly illuminated with lanterns and busy people walking about the docks. Corvo wished that he was on that beach, the sun-warmed sand bringing life to his cold body. He reached out a hand, and as soon as he had the thought, his feet were on the sand. He coughed and dropped to his knees, sand sticking to his damp body as he shook, collapsing onto his back and revelling in the stillness. 

He waited for just a while, before he found himself sitting up, staring out at the sea. Something was watching him still. He could feel it, those black eyes weighing down on his soul. 

He had to find Emily.


End file.
